Lessons learned in Manchester and Spain will help David Moyes at Sunderland

But yesterday he finally emerged through the Academy of Light’s front doors for the first time to pose in front of photographers and the video cameras waiting for a glimpse of him holding a Sunderland shirt.

Suited and booted, smiling and approachable, Moyes already looked comfortable in his new surroundings, even if the opening nine days of his reign has been spent largely on the phone by Lake Geneva hoping for some favourable transfer updates.

Offers are in, but the wait goes on for the first new signing of the summer to follow him into the main reception at Sunderland’s plush training complex in Cleadon, South Tyneside. When one has arrived, he hopes for plenty more to boost the thin squad he has inherited.

Moyes would not have taken on the task of turning Sunderland around had he felt it would be a constant battle to beat the drop; he admitted as much by claiming he rejected the overtures just last year for that reason until Sam Allardyce worked his wonders.

But Sunderland have shown signs of progress during the last few months, courtesy of Allardyce’s work and the installation of a new chief executive, Martin Bain. Those factors have encouraged Moyes too.

What he wants is to make Sunderland a more sustainable model at the top level, similar to what he did with Everton during his 11 years on Merseyside before leaving for Manchester United in the summer of 2013.

“I think Sunderland have got a lot more in place,” said Moyes, after taking his seat in the Academy of Light’s media suite for the first time. “The stadium for example, and Everton are in need of a new stadium. Sunderland have got a great support.

“But we need to change from just bobbing along at the bottom of the league: what is it, 17th, 16th, 14th, 17th … but I took over at Everton and the six years before that they were always at the bottom. For four out of the five years they were always in the bottom six. There’s a wee bit of a similarity.

“We may have finished seventh in the first year after we took over. Apart from one year when we were 17th there was always progress and making it better and in our last eight years we were always in the top eight.

"We turned Everton from being a club at the bottom into being a club at the top. But that was a journey that took ten years.

“Football has become less patient since that time, whether it’s supporters or media, so I hope I get the opportunity to put the vision in here.

"Managers don’t get much chance to put a vision in place, to try to move it on but if there was ever one club that needs that, it’s this club.”

It was, of course, Moyes’ work at Goodison Park which impressed Sir Alex Ferguson sufficiently to have the legendary former Manchester United boss identify him as his successor at Old Trafford.

Having been labelled the ‘Chosen One’, however, it never worked out and he was sacked before his first anniversary, with the Red Devils destined to miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time since 1995.

Has the stint scarred him?

“It gave me an unbelievable idea of what it is like at the top,” said Moyes. “I believe that’s where I can work and that’s where I should be working, and my level is that, because that is what I saw in the time I was there.

“You don’t get offered those jobs, you don’t get offered big jobs, if you’ve not done something. You don’t get offered the Real Madrid job, the Barcelona job, the Manchester United job, if you’ve not had something to suggest that there’s a reason for that job.

“I’ve said all along that I was (treated unfairly). When you sign a six-year contract and you end up there ten months, yeah, I believe I was. But that is life in football. But ultimately the key is to win football matches. I didn’t win enough football matches.

“But you must say there were mitigating circumstances. I think you could say there are maybe things that have gone on since then, that would actually justify that even more so.”

He was also left frustrated on his return to management after the Manchester United experience, but his year in charge of Real Sociedad from November 2014 also ended in frustration when he was sacked after a poor start to last season. Lessons learned …

“I had a great time in Spain. I got a chance to see a different culture,” said Moyes. “The ability of the players, the mentality of the players in Spain.

"A different type of football. There is probably a deeper thing on the players and the types compared to our types, I’ve had a chance to see that quite a bit.

“Even things like preparation, facilities in Spain. And honestly I can tell you there is an awful lot of bullshit out there about it too. It was a great experience. I’ve always wanted to manage abroad.

"I always thought we don’t export enough British managers to Europe.

“We are quite happy to bring them in, and I’ll be the first one to say ‘No problem, come in’. As long as you are good and as long as you do it, but we can’t export many British managers.

“I think I was one of the first to manage in the so-called top leagues - Italy, Germany, Spain. There are very few British managers who have had jobs at any clubs in those countries, and that’s bad.

“We need to find a way of getting our managers experienced. I had a great time. I came up against arguably the best teams in the world and arguably the best players in the world. I hope to be able to use that - and also my contacts in Spain have certainly much improved as well since I’ve been out there.”

Despite the frustrations he felt at Old Trafford and Anoeta, Moyes has arrived on Wearside refreshed and raring to show he is one of the best managers in the business – even if it is to himself rather than those doubting him.

The 53-year-old, who has a four year contract at the Stadium of Light, said: “I don’t think I have anything to prove to anybody else, but I am always proving to myself that I want to keep my standards high. I think I’ve got the fourth best win record in the Premier League out of all the managers.

“If I can even bring a bit of that to Sunderland, that will make a difference. But what I want is players who allow the manager to have that record. I have a big job to get that. The mentality I need to change, the way we play, what I want, I’d like that all to end up being what I’ve said.

“I want to have a good record. I’ve managed about 850 games in my career. I think 450 have been in the Premier League. So I am experienced, I’ve been there. I’ve seen a lot of things, a lot of good things and a lot of bad things.

“I’ve had a lot of great wins, things that have really excited me in my career. But I’ve also had a lot of bad times as well. But I think in this business I’m in, that’s the way it is – and I’m excited by what I have ahead of me here at Sunderland.”